Alabama Folklife Association’s special annual meeting this year will be a Symposium and Expo in Birmingham, Alabama, Nov. 12-14, 2015. Thursday night, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. a reception with food and cash bar at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame will open up the events.  At 6:30 p.m. guest author Tom Piazza will provide his first of two presentations, “Travelin’ Blues I:  American Music and the Dream of Escape.”  The Blues Concert at 7:30 p.m., The Birmingham Tradition, will feature Elnora Spencer plus guests Lee Brown and Jock Webb.  Tickets are $20.00 per person. The FREE Folklore Symposium on Friday, November 13 at the Birmingham Museum of Art Auditorium will have a series of presentations beginning with a history of folklore research in Alabama, giving credit to Ruby Pickens Tartt, Kathryn Tucker Windham, the work of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the Alabama Folklife Association.  Presentations by Gail Andrews of the Birmingham Museum of Art, Joey Brackner from the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, and Robert Thrower of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians will showcase their efforts and contributions to the collection, documentation, presentation, conservation, and education of Alabama’s folk and traditional arts.   After a lunch break, Tom Piazza will serve as the keynote speaker, presenting “Travelin’ Blues II:  The Ramblings of Alan Lomax.”  Afterwards, participants will enjoy a series of presenations about places Alan Lomax visited in Alabama, the sounds he recorded, and the people he met.  To end, there will be a one hour panel discussion on African American music traditions and their significant contributions to our cultural heritage. Friday night, we will have a second reception, Jazz it Up at the Tutwiler Hotel.  Tickets are $15.00 per person and space is limited.  After an introduction by Burgin Mathews, trumpet player, music instructor, and band leader, Jose Carr will perform with his friends including Collins “Bo” Barry. Saturday will be a fun final FREE morning.  We will be holding a Folklife Expo in the Garden Parking Lot during The Market at Pepper Place.  From 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., there will be live music, demonstrations, quilters, and more.